Honda Pioneer 700-4

All we had hoped for – Went to Farmfest at Toowoomba this year to buy a Polaris "buggy". We had researched the purchase for 2 years ... and thought we had nailed it. We'd struggled trying to decide whether to buy a long-ish 5 seater (5 in our family), one of their less powerful, but nonetheless suitable for us 4 seaters, or just a bench seat 3 seater since these were shorter in the wheelbase and likely to be better in the bush. Decided in the end on the 3 seater, as we hoped the novelty would soon wear off, and the kiddies would get sick of it.

The bloke at the Polaris stand annoyed us a bit - quoted a price more than he had written down for us a few days before, and we weren't allowed to take the thing for a test drive ... or even sit in it while one of them drove it. Who buys these without ever having driven in one??!! So we stashed the chequebook back in our pocket and walked off to "think about it".

At this point, while gazing absent-mindedly into the distance we noticed the Honda stand ... with 3 of their recently released Pioneer ATV's on display - had no idea they even made one. Since we have been "Honda people" for many, many years now, we thought it would be worth a look. Noticed that one of those on display (the 700-4) employed a very clever "popping up/folding away" rear seat application, making the short wheelbase 2 seater into a 4 seater in literally a few seconds. And those rear seats are amazing - they fold down with an almost hydraulically smooth action so that when flat all you can see is an otherwise normal and fully useable ute bed. When deployed they fold up out of their receptacle - which then forms a dandy footwell for the rear passengers.

Well - if that wasn't the revelation we needed at exactly that point!! How the hell had these things eluded us and our thorough research??

Luckily we had our laptop with us at the time, so we did some research on the fly, and found that the Pioneers, released in Australia just a few months before, had been well received in the US market. Had a chat to the extremely knowledgeable Honda factory rep at the stand, and in no time it was arranged for us to be taken for a test drive, then and there.

Taking the info away with us, we wheeled and dealed over the next few weeks, and finally picked up a new Pioneer fitted with factory full length roof a fortnight ago. Now be aware that the Honda is dearer than the Polaris - in our case we spent an extra $4K to get the Honda ... but what do you compare it to - the 5 seater, the 4 seater or the 2/3 seater?? In this comparison it is against the opposition's 2/3 seater, so it will depend.

The vehicle looks deceptively compact with all 4 seats deployed - however it is a very high machine standing higher in the garage than our Grand Cherokee or Prado. However it rides beautifully on the custom trailer we had made for it, with no hint at all of instability. Good tie-down points front and rear on the generous protective bars.

Honda is manic about occupant safety, and in our opinion this "buggy" beats most (if not all) with its comprehensive almost "a step too far" roll cage and safety netting. Each occupant gets retracting lap/sash seat belts with the rear seat's belts comprising two metal buckles - with one plugging in to the offside to form the sash, while the other goes across the lap to form the "lap" of the traditional lap/sash setup, and clicking in at the usual familiar spot. Plenty of handholds about the cabin.

Now some may find all of this safety stuff a pain ... and these folks probably wouldn't buy a Pioneer ... but I've been belting about the bush a bit in all manner of rigs over the years, and have developed a healthy respect for sticks and trees and other such nuisances and their unfortunate tendency to want to intrude into the cabin, and in some cases one's body! I am more than happy to put up with the need to open and shut a little half door if it stops my shin from being "de-gloved" at some future point!! Oh ... and did I mention that I value my kids?!

Each occupant gets a little plastic door with lift up plastic latch on the inside, with the rear doors opening "backwards". Those boarding at the rear have a plastic foothold on the outside to use if needed. Front doors have in-built moulded cupholders, and there is a decent "glove box" on the far right dash with rubberised click-closed to minimise vibration. There is a small open oddments bay above the glovebox.

The rear cargo bed lifts up for emptying via a metal latch on the left exterior, and the rear tailgate can be easily dropped. Needs a fair bit of heft to snap the bed closed again afterwards though. The bed won't lift while the seats are deployed.

The singe cylinder petrol only engine size is just under 700CC, and traction is shaft delivered via a 3 speed hydraulically operated auto gearbox along similar lines to that of an automatic car. The gear lever is to the right of the steering wheel on the dash, requiring a bit of heft to move, a little clunky, via a detent system from Neutral to Drive or Reverse. 2 wheel drive, 4 wheel drive or 4 wheel + diff lock are selectable via a similar detented lever to the right of the gear shift. Handbrake is to the extreme left of the dash, and is the familiar ratchet "press button and disengage" type most car drivers would be familiar with. It felt more positive than others we've tried.

Exhaust system is said to be fully stainless, and the outlet is situated at the rear centrally.

The multifunction display comprises black on orange LCD and is clearly visible night and day. Some may call it rudimentary, however it shows all I need to see - speed, fuel level, temp, ODO, trip and hour meter, and time/distance to next service. Unlike some manufacturers, Honda has no issues with telling you how to reset the maintenance reminder ... just in case you prefer to do it yourself! Gear selection is also shown. A few appropriate warning LED's surround the display. There is a single 12V accessory outlet in the dash, rated at 10 amps.

The headlights are very capable, although there is no high beam, and the front lights are not LEDs. The simple rotating on/off switch is on the left steering wheel stem. We have been impressed by the beam - it is a good compromise between high and low, and we have not had any reason to want better. We had planned on installing an LED light bar, but have shelved this idea now - not necessary. Rear lights/brake lights are vertical LED stacks. This vehicle is not road registrable, so no mirrors or indicators are fitted.

Driving position is left hand side, and the seats/steering are non adjustable. Those back seats are actually quite comfy too. The front seat is a removable bench type and my only criticism up to this point is that it SHOULD be capable of holding 3 people. It's certainly wide enough, but the seat belt stalks - which don't appear to be able to be stowed flat - intrude a fair way upwards, and would make it ... shall we say ... a pain in the rear to sit on!!

Ground clearance is 10.5 inches, Cargo capacity 454 Kg, towing capacity 680 Kg, trailer tongue load 68 Kg. Trailer hitch accepts standard 2 inch square drawbars. Our Prado's hitch slipped right on.

Radiator and brake fluid (servicing the 4 wheel discs) accessed under the small front bonnet. Oil accessed via lift up thin rubber panels under the lift-off front seat, and air cleaner via lift up panels under the cargo bed. The radiator is actually carried quite high on the rig, and lots of bumping across our 13 acre paddock, complete with "loaded" long grass stems, has resulted in the grand total of zero seeds accumulating in the radiator fins. This will be good news to those that do a lot of bush work.

So ... how does it go?? Well typically the engine idles sweetly and the power delivery is mostly seamless. Gear changes occur very smoothly, and are hardly noticeable when moseying along. Power is consistent and impressive, even with a load of 2 adults and 2 children. Engine braking quite useful. The vehicle is said to do a top speed of around 60Km/hr, but to be honest, anything over around 45 feels fast - maybe we're not yet used to "buggying". In any case it's still being broken in; and we haven't had it over 50 yet. It can certainly catch anything we would ever want to catch in the bush, so don't see too much need to stretch it right out.

What we really appreciate is the stability of the platform generally. Even going over our quite steep dam wall, the Honda is sure footed and reassuring. The engine is mounted centrally, and low in the chassis, and undoubtedly contributes to this situation. I should think that you would really have to set out to intentionally upset this beast to get it rolling about too much. It holds its line extremely well, and we have no qualms about letting the kiddies have a blurt on it when we think they're ready.

Overall the package is just right for us, and the fact that it has the 4 seats in a body similarly sized to most of the 2 seaters out there makes it truly the perfect compromise. That 3 year warranty is a shining star too!

The down sides ... well the engine is uncharacteristically harsh and rough at around 9-13Km/hr (doesn't have a tacho) - when just chugging under no particular pressure. Nearly enough to rattle the old falsies out!! This is surprising for a Honda, and a bit of a shame, since this is a good little speed for just poking about. Maybe it'll settle down as it wears in. Since the engine sits pretty well right behind the front occupant's legs, it can get noticeably hot after a while in the seat.

That front seat really should accommodate 3 - whoever designed those rigid seatbelt stalks in an application like this needs a whipping! Should it have power steering?? ... Our jury's still out on this. The steering as presented is positive and easily manageable, but at low speeds you'll need to do a bit of work, and in sticky stuff this would be the case too. What we would actually find quite useful is an interior light, but we always carry a torch on us, so this is a minor niggle.

The biggest down side ... the fact that we discovered about 11 days after we bought this via a newsflash on their website that Honda is now planning to release later this year a Pioneer 1000-5 in Australia. 6 speed auto, with confirmed 5 seating positions in the same pop up format in an otherwise normal 2 seater dimensioned ute body.. GRRRRRRR - would have been damned PERFECT!!

Otherwise though, this machine does everything we had hoped it would. It truly is a good compromise for those that want a short wheelbase for the manoeuvrability that can offer in the bush ... and when the kids aren't interested their seats go down and we have a nice little work ute!! It's a solid 4.5 stars from us. Mighty glad we saw that stand!!